New truck weight rules imposed on Hopkins St.

City crews recently completed installation of new truck weight restrictions on Hopkins Street designed to keep large trucks off the largely residential portion of the roadway.

The city revised the truck weight restriction from a gross vehicle weight of 58,420 lbs. to 33,000 lbs. The new truck weight restriction will keep large trucks such as tractor-trailers, cement trucks, dump trucks, fuel trucks, and tour buses off Hopkins Street.

In 2017, the Texas Transportation Commission, the governing body of the Texas Department of Transportation, transferred control of Hopkins Street from Guadalupe Street (Loop 82) to Wonder World Drive (RM 12) to the city of San Marcos.

“The new truck weight restrictions are part of the city’s ongoing efforts to reclaim Hopkins from a state highway to a local, neighborhood street,” said Sabas Avila, assistant director of Public Services – Transportation. “To this end, the city is focused on implementing intermediate and long-term solutions to eliminate truck traffic, reduce traffic speeds, and encourage bike and pedestrian mobility.”

In addition to the new truck weight restrictions, the city has installed radar speed signs, restriped narrow lanes, implemented new traffic signal timings, and installed “Do not block intersection” signs. These measures are intended to reduce speeding and manage traffic congestion along the Hopkins Street corridor from Guadalupe Street to Wonder World Drive. The San Marcos Police Department has also increased enforcement of these new initiatives.

The city is also completing design and construction plans to reconstruct Hopkins Street from Moore Street to Bishop Street. The project will incorporate several design features to manage traffic, including raised crosswalks, narrow travel lanes, wider sidewalks, shared use markings for bicycles, and improved street lighting. The project will also install new stormwater, water and wastewater utilities. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2019 with completion expected in 2021.